Rating board



May 31, 1932. H, HENKE 1,860,856

` Y RATING BOARD Filed April 24, 195o Patented May 3l, 1932 narran sra-rss masa HARRY HENKE, OF IVIILLBURN, NEW JERSEY RATING BOARD appii'cation inea April 24,

This invention relates to a rating or ranking board for use in squash, tennis, golf and other clubs where it is desired to display the relative ranking of members in the particular 5 sport.' It is usual in clubs to rank the better players and permit them, as'their skill increases, to change their ranking in accordance with what is generally termed fladder challenge matches under `which any rated lo player may challenge any one of the three players whose names appear immediately ahead of vhis own and have his ranking changed accordingly if he succeeds in defeating any one of said three players. y

vThe improved 'construction -is designed to provide an attractive and compact ranking board with provision therein for displaying prominently-the names of all of the members who are entitled to a ranking, in the relative order of their skill andv yet facilitate the change in such ranking without disturbing the name-pieces of any other players except the one to be changed.

A further object of the invention is to provide ranking board of the character referred to in which the naine-piece for the player `who is to be demoted automatically changes its position to the desired place at the time the name-piece of the player to be 'promoted is a@ shifted. f

Still another object of the invention is to provide aranking board wherein theshifting of name-pieces pursuant to changesunder Y ladder challenge matches is particularly facilitated.

A .further object is to incorporate in a single ranking board which is of compact construction provision for the ranking of dierent sets of-players7V as for instance,` men, 40 women, mens doubles! and womens 'doubles or Vthe like. Y i

These and other objects' will appear-particularly hereinafter as the description proceeds, reference now being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure'l 4is a vi'ew in elevation of the improved ranking board showing the namepieces in their relative position, provision being made for the ranking of several sets of players.

1930. serial No. Massa Figure '2 is a view vertical `section through the board shown inl Figure 1 and taken on the plane indicated by the line .2-2 of'Figure 1 and looking in the direction 0f the arrows. Y

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Y

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of one of the improved name-pieces. 7

The ranking board, as a whole, comprises a body section formed somewhat like a tray or display compartment indicated generally at a, the front of which may be closed conveniently by a door b having a glass front b through which the name-pieces within the tray may be observed.v The door b may be engaged hingedly or slidingly with thev tray but as illustrated in the drawings it has been found most convenient to provide `horizontal ways a in the top and bottom frame pieces of the tray a in which the door Z) may be supported with tongues "b2 engaging the ways a whereby the door can be slid laterally in either direction to expose any of the namepi'eces withim without necessitating the complete removal of the door.

Within the compartment are provided means for the support of as many columnsof name-pieces as may be 'required for the particular club depending on the number of players to be ranked and the different sets of players to be ranked. In the illustrated embodiment provision has been made by the first' column of name-piecesfor the ranking oftwenty-live (25) players in mens singles, twenty-live (25) players in womens singles in the second column, and twelve (12) teams lin 'V mens doubles 'and twelve 'teams in womens Adoubles inthe thirdcolurnn; It will be clear as the description proceeds that the number of such columns and the number of namepieces in each column or any subdivision thereof maybe changed to meetdifferent requirements. p y i Beginning at theV left as viewed in Figure 1 the tray has the edge of the frame member b3 exposed -to view through the glass b and along this edge may be indicated numbers fil running from l to 25 from top to bottom. Spaced from this edge b3 a suitable distance is a vertically extending rib b5 which is secured to the frame members of the tray and is of such thickness and so spaced from the back-board b4 of the tray as to receive thereunder all of the name-pieces c one being shown clearly in Figure 4. The name of the player to be ranked is appliedfdirectly to the face of one of these name-pieces byprinting or pasting a cardboard bearingl the name.`

thereon or in any other convenientmanner or the name-piece while satisfying the physical requirements to be pointed out later might, nevertheless, be otherwise-,of such special construction as to facilitate the applicationrof the namethere orl therein;

The name-pieces in the column-are slid in from-:right to left under theretaining strip b5 and; rest on top of one another in regular order as appears in Figure l. Each of the name-pieces has a comfortable sliding fit: between the strip b5 and the back-boardb1 so thatwhen the. name-piece is -in position it will beheld against lateral displacement-'With respectI to the'tray while beingmoVable-endwise i' or Withdrawal anddisengagementffrom they strip b5.

One ofi the important features of thev inveintion resides inthe formof the name-piece c; It. will be observed-that one end isreverselyV tapered terminating inV a fairly narrowfedge. c while its butt end is rounded as indicated-k at 02. When=the name-pieces are insertedso as to form a1 verticalfbank restingon one another, the' tapered endsy of adjacent pieces present `extended V-openings. rWhen one ofthe name-pieces, saythat opposite the rating number 20,' isto be placed higher in the bank,as when the player whose name it bears becomes'fentitled-to a better rating, that one piece' can be slidout endWise from the bank without' disturbing any of the other pieces. As soon'as'it iswholly removed the entire bank of pieces above it, that is the pieces numbered from :l1v to i 19 will drop' by gravity onto the name-piece at'v place number 2l. If, now, the player Whose name is on the piece withdrawn is to .be ranked number l5 the rounded butt' endofy hisname-piecey is pressed into the V-opening presented-by the two lname-pieces occupying places numbers 15 andl and the piece isforcedinmoving towards the left a's'viewed in Figure'l. Its introduction between the two pieces isgreatly facilitated by. presenting thesclurved`v butt end into the V-shapedopening.V Thereupon, all of thepieces occupying rpositions extend ingdown to number 15are forced upwardly one space to admittheparticularwname-piece into space number lwhich the players name' is to occupy.

For.` the vnext column ofv rated* players un- Y der womens'singles af vertical rib tlf' is in'- serted lin the tray on which may be placed the numerals l to 25. Another retaining rib e is secured within the tray spaced at proper rib b5 to permit a name-piece to be slid tothe right' as viewed lin Figure-11 far enough to be disengaged' from Y the rib 55.

The-third column in Figure 1 is rsimilar to the` other. two columns and similarly constructed rexcept that a horizontal rib f carryingr-.a legend Womens doubles is inserted in the vertical bank, this legend being carried fori convenience on one of the namepieces. Such a rib might be permanently secured in place thusproviding two banks ofremovable name-piecesin a single vertical column: or, as illustrated, `it may be withdrawn and 'insertedlike the other name-pieces. This gives a--consider'able measure of flexibility since-any ofthe'columns-canthus be shortenedl andi additional legendsintroduced' in any of thel columns; The presence of such a name-piece doesfnot change the method of operation sinceiif 'any ofthe `name-pieces belowit areshifted'it is immaterial since when ythe shifting-is completed the name-piecebearing theflegend and all -piecesabove it are restored to their same relative positions.

lFor convenience, each of the members b4, ci, etc. on -ivhich'the/ numerals are displayed constitute a stopfr-tlre name-pieces-adj acent course, must be a suiclent distance from the thereto'so thatwhensuch name-piecesare iny serted under their" respectiveretaining ribs b5, e etc; the-butt-ends ofthe pieces will bear against suchfstops thereby insuringthefvertical alignments -of the 'pieces inV the particular bank.

Gha-ngesinfdetails-of construction can be made 'without departing2 from the invention se' long 'as thefgeneral organization of parts lis reta-ined'to serve'thesame purpose.y

YVVhabI-claim is A- rating board for. the purpose described having a vertical stop with numerals dis'- playedfthereon, rigid name piecesfof substantial:thicltnessl mounted on the board 'in a vertical bank, said name pieces comprising separate'- units adapted* to rest: onl and. be supported by one another, respectively', and adapted' to@ engage saidl stop at their butt ends, andifixed meansfperma-nently overlying thename pieces adjacent theirfree ends to hold them against-lateral displacement'while permittingtheir-'endwise movementffor withdrawal, the butt ends of said name pieces being curv'edhand the'free ends reversely tapered. Y

This specification signed this 22nd day of 

